How to Repair a Scuffed or Damaged Car Bumper for less than $100
Color Matched Paint Available Here: www.automotivetouchup.com/?A=569
Click Here for my video on how to find your car's paint code: • How to Find Your Car's...
I will take you through all the steps to repair a scuffed or damaged bumper on your car for less than $100. Everything from sanding and repairing the bumper to priming, painting, clear coating and polishing it. I even go through how to remove orange peel which frequently occurs. Check out below for all the individual products I used in this repair.
I got all the painting supplies from AutomotiveTouchup.
This link will take you straight to the page to match your car's paint color.
www.automotivetouchup.com/?A=569
Some of the other supplies I purchased locally and from Amazon.
Painters Tape: amzn.to/2So5p3V
Tack Cloth: amzn.to/2VdgRRS
Bondo Bumper Repair Kit: amzn.to/30ggsnX
Bondo Spreaders: amzn.to/3gr3sAx
Sandpaper Kit: amzn.to/2CBVdPN
The Random Orbital Sander I Used: amzn.to/3lShQCV
Check out my 2 1/2 year update to see how the repair has stood up: • 2 1/2 Year Bumper Repa...
Or if you just need to repair a small bumper dent, check out this video: • Repair a Dent in Your ...
Please note the links above may be affiliate links from which I earn a small commission on.
#car #howto #diy
Thanks for watching the video How to Repair a Scuffed or Damaged Car Bumper for less than $100
First off, always use a block when sanding otherwise the sandpaper will cut more material under your fingertips. Prep sol is essential before painting. It promotes adhesion by removing oil and grease. When you use tack rags, work in one direction. If you work back and forth like he did, the captured dirt will be left behind on the panel. Rotate the tack cloth so the inner surfaces are used too. When you squeeze the trigger on the paint can, don’t start painting in the middle of the panel. Always start off the edge and finish off the other edge. Mask those areas you don’t wish to paint. If you use newspaper, be wary of the small holes found in newspaper. I use butcher block brown paper. If you paint the first coat in a horizontal direction, paint the next coat using vertical strokes. On a metallic job, the final coat is known as a fog coat and is not directional. Wear a painter’s mask. Cancer is not fun. Don’t paint outside. Orange peel is caused by too much material applied too quickly. The first coat of rubbing compound is coarse. You can also use 1500 grit wet sand.The second and third application of rubbing compound uses a less abrasive compound.
Thank you for all the great tips. I will pin this to the top because I think it highlights a lot of things I could have done better.
OK o
You dont use a block on rounded surface you use a pad
Griffon 327 Yep, 3M makes one or at very least wrap sandpaper around a firm sponge.
I loved this and I am going to do this to my new used car. Could you possibly list all the supplies which I need to Buy? Thanks in advance.
As a BodyShop owner you did an amazing job with this. Although this job would cost 200 and in one day of work itd be complete. Thats not the point, its about learning a new skill set, and for that i applaud you.
Thank you. I wished I could have found someone locally to do it for $200. It would have been worth that.
In Australia that would be a $700 job without doubt .
Definitely $700 in Aus, but the best part is the pride in doing it yourself. Every time that you look at the vehicle you remember doing it. The only problem is that the clear coat will probably fail long before the factory job. These jobs are good to do just before you trade in the vehicle.
Julio Alvarez actually I had shot and run in my Optima just like his wife. Same left side number, they want to charge me $1,000, I’m glad he did this video, I told him I was following his steps to do mine as well.
@@cindygomez5414 same here body shop wanted to charge me 1,100.$ The damage was no more then the white paint scuffed and scrapped reveling black underneath.
It takes a brave soul to step out of his/her comfort zone a try something like this. Hats of to U Man!
Thank you. You are not wrong, this was one of the more nervous repairs I have ever done.
Richard Marks right? and then to film and post it. Awesome work, plus the honesty makes an intimidating task a little more approachable.
Thanks! I’ve got a small cut in my bumper. You just gave me the confidence to try it myself.
Hats off
I do this for a living and for a first attempt i have to say, great job! We can nit pick all day long but the bottom line is if you are happy with the result then its a good job!
Thank you Simon. I appreciate the kind words.
Simon pike how do your price your work??
That was so nice of you!! - Humanity
I backed into a guardrail with my 16 Honda Accord Sport and have similar damage. Body shops want 1000.00 to replace the bumper. There is no visible under bumper damage, clips intact, no bumper shift no gaps...just an ugly scrape. My foot was on the brake as I was backing in. So glad I found this video. You did an amazing job and I love to paint, I know I can do this on my own. Thanks for posting the video. You did a great job and saved me alot of cash!! Kudos on your craftsmanship for having never done this before!AWESOME
Thank you. I am actually in the process of making a new video taking into account all the great suggestions people have mentioned in the comments. Good luck on yours. I am sure it will turn out great.
You have inspired me. I'm going to go back my car into a concrete wall to try this out!! Great job!
🤣🤣🤣
That sounds like an amazing idea.
Or back into a bolder like I did 😏 ...of COURSE it was premeditated
lol
💀😂
The attention to detail in your prep work has paid off !! What an amazing result. For a first timer that's brilliant. Well done.
Well done, sir. I agree with Julio, you did an amazing job!
Clint, No need to apologize for anything. If people send hate mail your way they are the ones who need to apologize. You did a great job first time out and if I ever think to be brave and do something like you did I will watch your video again. Thanks
Bravo! Sam.. you're right on. Clint - Thanks! I started using a rolling walker & wheelchair in the last two yrs. My car has a lot of scratches, especially in door opening. Body shops charge a lot to "chase down" those scratches. Now I feel much better I can protect my car from rust again. I can do this myself. Thanks again Clint!!!
Hate mail for something as simple as this...if such people exist, they are probably mentally ill, seriously.
YES YES YES YES!!!!!!!!! right-on brother.
Haters will hate no matter what! You did a great job!Maybe it`s not perfect but practice makes it better.So..talk to your wife to tackle some more concrete.Maybe you can make some extra cash from this skill once you master it.Hats off sir!
You did a beautiful job! You can't even tell that you did a repair on that part of the car! Awesome work my friend!😊👼👍🚗🌺✌🍀
I have a bumper that looks eerily similar to how your wife’s looked! And I do almost ALL my own work around my home myself with KZhead videos like yours teaching me, saving me money and giving me the satisfaction that I’m capable of being my own solution in almost any situation. I commend you for taking on this super daunting challenge-not easy as I bet it’s easy to compound the problem with mistakes!!! So now, 3 years later, I’m curious how the bumper looks? Does she still have the car?
Great job. I finished drywall for 50 years and there's people you can never please . Using spot lights etc to check out my work. Thank goddess I only had few people like that. I give u a lot of credit taking on this repair.
Agreed. Funny you should mention that. My father did drywall and I still remember this one lady who took us in her bathroom, turned the lights out and used a flashlight to show imperfections in the drywall that weren't visible in the light. Crazy people.
As an industry professional with 5 years experience in watching "how to KZhead videos", with 26300+ hours of watch-time under my belt. Apart from the overspray, great job bud. You deserve one of them cookies that will make cookie monster dribble.
Thank you so much for the kind comments. I appreciate you taking the time to comment. I will tell me wife to buy me a big cookie.
Good job! I just bought a Highlander that's in great shape but has a scuffed up front bumper, I'll be trying this!
Looks great! I've done lots of bondo work over the years. Glad to see they have a product for plastic bumpers. You did a fine job on the van and the video too!
Just a quick note, the adhesion promoter YES is for plastics and plastic bumpers, it’s not needed on painted sections just the RAW plastic materials and other bondo/filler. Great job!
Many thanks on that very essential tip! I only needed to paint one panel! Probably why the adhesion promoter just hit it and ran down like water! Luckily, I had a clean rag handy and wiped it over the area without leaving any runs!
You did an outstanding job! So much of any paint job is preparation. And it seems the only way we learn is by doing the work ourselves. It looks beautiful!! Thank you for the video.
Sir, that job looks awesome! Inspire me to do it on my own car. GREAT PROFESSIONAL work. Thank you for sharing.
Well done! I've done a few minor repairs but I have a bigger one that I want to tackle. Thanks for the video!
My friend, you did a fantastic job for your first attempt, gave me encouragement to do my own.
Thank you. I am sure you will do great as well.
Great job mate .. love your honesty and openness in your methodology ... thankyou ...
awesome job Sir. I will have to do this on my TL this summer. good info. thank you
Thanks for stepping out of your comfort zone. I commend you on your courage to test your wife's patience and the superb job you did. Your willingness to take on this repair inspires me to attempt a similar repair on my F-150. Well done.
Awesome. That's why I make these videos. I like showing people that anyone can do some of this stuff and you don't always have to pay someone to do it for you.
Just checked this again. You did your thing man. Fantastic job and it is exactly how I think about doing this kind of work. I will watch a video, like this one, and go to work. The results you had are more than acceptable. Looks professional on camera, that's for sure. Thanks for posting this up. It will come in handy should the need arise.
Thank you. It has lasted almost 3 years so far so I must have done something right. I fully expected it to flake off about a month later.
Good job! I'm no professional either but I've done body work under the eye of a professional. You nailed it with your last comment. Preperation is everything. And as I learned the hard way body work is a lot of spreading the putty or bondo and sanding it off. Repeat indefinitely. Good video too.
From a PROFESSIONAL AUTO REPAIR MAN, You have done very well Remember PREPARATION is 90 percent of the EFFORT, And 10 percent PAINTING.
Thank you. Kind of like life I guess.
So, prepare yourself, and take to Maaco? :D
@@drippingwax I presume that Maaco is a paint company or a auto repair shop. We do not have Maaco here in AUSTRALIA.:-( You would save heaps of money if you can spray it your self, because auto spray jobs from a auto repair shop are ... SUPER EXPENSIVE.
@@TheObSeRvErTheObSeRv be glad you guys don't have Maco $200 dollar paint job. I've seen about 20 vehicles that they had done 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 you did a better job painting than they have.
Looks great. Yes, it is all in the prep for the smoothness of the final look of the clear coat.
Dude, amazing. Your a humble fella and you took on something that your not comfortable with and then you put it up to help others. Thanks and good luck with your future fixes. Cheers!
Thank you.
You did a great job for the first time doing this project.
You did a terrific job!!! Looks professional.
Great job man for a first-timer. I did my first one few years ago and it's really surprising how well they turn out especially after the cut and buff.
I was certainly impressed. I didn't enjoy it but it turned out better than I thought.
I've got a similar project and you have inspired me to tackle the job myself.
Awesome. I am sure you will do even better than I did. Good luck.
CapWalks1 how was it
@@aymenem5304 if he owns a motorcycle he probably didn't get to it yet lol.....or maybe that's just my issue
Same. Recently bought a 2004 Acura TL and it has been my little project during quarantine. Both front and rear bumpers look just like this, the previous owner didn't give her any love. I was really close to just send it to the body shop but you just inspired me to tackle this myself too. Great job and for a first time it looks really good, surely a second compound, polish and wax will make it look even better
Looks fantastic.You were so good about following the instructions and taking all the necessary steps. Impatience would have done me in.
I appreciate you for trying at least and posting a helpful video, it’s pretty damn good for someone who’s clueless
Thanks.
pr9 Po ml loop o no no I'm in loop no more no go,,b5 no vi no
Thanks for sharing the details of your experience! You've removed the intimidating factor for me in such a repair. I'm anticipating the repair of more minor scratches/scuffs on my bumpers. Cheers!
That's why I make these videos. Thanks for watching.
For a man that clearly stated he hates painting, you sir did an awesome job. Keep up the new skill.
Thank you. I still hate painting, maybe even more so now.
well done buddy, looks great, very scary process to go DIY, glad it turned out
Good job, looks really good for a DIY. Painting any car part has always intimidated me but you made it look really easy. Thanks for the video.
Thank you for this video. I'm going to give your technique a try on my bumper scratches.
I applaud your effort. It looked great from my perspective. You made me and others aware of products that I didn't know existed. I hope nobody looks at professional body shops and feels they screw people over. That's not the case for the vast majority of body shops. They have overhead, licensing etc and good craftsman aren't cheap. They have to charge what they have to charge to stay open.
Thanks for the kind comments. I understand business and I know they would have done a better job, no questions asked. But I also believe in not paying for things I am capable of doing myself.
If that's clueless, then I wish I was that clueless about alot of stuff. Great job!
IKR. 🎯🤣
From one clueless guy to another . Great job..
That's a pretty good result for your first attempt. Well done!!!
Damned good job. Better than most professional paint shops *and cheaper* ! ✔
Nicely done! Thanks for posting this.
This was a perfect youtube video...instructive, easy to follow, and only as long as it needed to be. Great work, man. Subscribed.
Thank you. Love hearing that.
I agree 👍🇧🇭
9
You’re a natural at telling your story logically and in consideration of your viewer. You’re also naturally likable, which comes across the screen. Great job on the car and the video.
Thank you for watching and for the kind words.
Looks good to me especially for the first time you did a great job, wow.
For a first timer body man you did a great job! As you said, unless you point it out, can't hardly be noticed. Be proud.
Awesome job. I shall be keeping this clip for when I do a few scratches of my own. Well done. Thank you.
Lol ....good effort! I painted and compounded my entire car a few days ago and it looks like it just came from the dealer’s show room. You took a lot of unnecessary steps and you lost me when you pulled out that can of spray paint 😅. You’re a brave and resourceful man! Very good effort.
I am a retired Auto Body and paint specialist and I have to say that I am impressed. Doing all that using only hand sanding must have been excruciating! You also pulled off the painting aspects of it, using spray cans! Back in my day, they had spray cans, but no one seriously used them to effect a base/clear spot repair! I am assuming they have come a long way with the formulation of paints to pull that off. We mixed all our colors peruse, and They have been base/coat, clear/coat for years. We always added a catalyst to dry and cure the final clear coats. When I started painting in the early 1950's we had alcaid Enamels and Nitrocellouse Lacquers. The lacquers went on kind of like what you did in your video and dried fast, and finally polished out to blend with the old paint. I'm saying that spot repairs could take place in the middle of a painted area, you didn't have to paint a whole panel then. You did have to have basic knowledge of matching colors, but that is a whole nother topic. GREAT JOB!
Thanks James. I guess they have come a long way with spray cans. I did end up buying a 2 part clear coat for next time as I have been told they are much better than the standard cans but I haven't had a need for it yet. And hope not to.
Love your honesty! & dude, you totally rocked it! It looks fantastic!!
Brilliant job Buddy. Very satisfying watching this restoration.
Well done! Amazing for your first try. Just like a professional job!
I am preparing to tackle this same thing this weekend and this video is very helpful. Sounds like one big key to success is to get the surface perfectly smooth before priming and painting.
Absolutely. Any mistakes in your surface will get amplified as you put on additional coats. Good luck and come back and let us know how it turns out.
Great job to save money and get a good finish at the same time! Thanks for posting!
Awesome job. Kudos to you... I can't tell of the imperfections. I have a white Hyundai Sonata that came with bumper scratches. I may try this myself. I can't afford to pay anyone. I thought about getting it painted (can't afford that either) this is the next best thing. I like it.😊
WOW man!! Good work .... and you even state the mistakes you make along the way learning as you go so no one watching makes them.... a valuable lesson ... a great tutorial thanks for sharing 👍
You did an amazing job with this! I've done a bit of autobody work in my late teens/early 20s so a lot of this made sense and I anticipate most of the steps you took but learned a few that contribute to a finer result. Excellent video, informing, engaging, and well-documented.
Thank you Joel. I appreciate the kind words and thanks for watching.
what a great result. you have inspired me to attempt my own car bumper repair. brilliant steps instructions well done mate
Cool. That's why I make these videos. If I can do it, you can too.
As you mentioned masking the whole car is a must. Overspray will fall everywhere not just the adjacent panels. Other than that you should have scuffed the whole area where any materials will be touching. That being said A+ for taking this on by yourself.
GOOD JOB no mistakes just skills.. you used your brain i wish there more people like this..
Nice job! I've done body work for many years and you did a good job. An at home job is not going to be perfect, but as long as it looks good and you don't know where the damage is, unless you know where to look, that's all that matters. Congratulations and thanks for sharing.
Thanks Greg. I appreciate the kind words. I have actually had to do this again and I learned from my mistakes and did an even better job the 2nd time. Never too old to stop learning.
Other than the under masking and lack of safety gear…you did an amazing job. Well done, Sir! That was likely 300-500 at most shops. Kudos!
Thank you and you are dead on. My quote was almost $500.
AWESOME! Love your presentation! Thanks for posting!
For a first time repair I think you done well, I'm not sure if I would of been so brave as you and put your attempt on KZhead, so good for you, we all make mistakes first time round, even professionals have to start somewhere.
Exactly and thanks. No way to learn new things if you don't try them.
I’m doing the same process right now! I’m doing it in my garage with good lighting but I’ve never painted a vehicle before. You did a really good job 👏🏼 for your 1st time. The only part I kind of cringed at (which you explain!) is not prepping off the rest of the car but it looks great 👍🏼 Good for you
Yep, that was definitely a hard lesson to learn but thankfully it turned out alright.
I think you did a great job considering you have never doing this before. You followed all of the procedures and instructions to the tee. Looks great.
Fantastic job for your first attempt! I really liked your commentary. I have a similar situation. We scraped the side of my painted wood fence, pulling into a tight driveway, that left paint on the truck and removed a little bit of auto paint on the front bumper. I will have to get it fixed professionally because the paint on my truck is a very specific color that is hard to match. On the same week, someone rear ended my bumper. So I am hoping, if I go through insurance, we can fix it all. Anyway, just wanted to comment that I enjoyed this video and your process.
Thank you. Love hearing comments like that since that's why I make these videos.
Fantastic result and video. Love how honest and open you are. Good to learn something useful from such a decent bloke. Many thanks!
Awesome. Thanks for the nice words.
Greetings from the uk.! Always thankful for an honest, unsponsored post such as this, and glad you enjoyed the process 👍
I did. Not something I want to do every day but I like doing things myself.
Wow, you did a fantastic job.
It looks amazing! I would've never guessed that it was fixed.
Awesome. Thank you and thanks for watching.
Nicely done. This gives encouragement to a lot of us who's reluctant in trying to tackle a job like this.
That's exactly what I like to hear. I was a bit intimidated by this repair myself but figured I couldn't really make it look much worse than it did. And if I could record my trials and tribulations and share them with others to save them time, then win-win for everyone. Thanks for watching.
Nice work, you gave this amateur some courage to do the same on my wife's 2008 Corolla!
Love hearing that. That's why I make these videos. Thanks for watching and come back and let me know how it turns out.
I appreciate your honesty sir! All you're doing is share your attempt at fixing something, from what you've learned thus far. And, it helps me - who's been looking for ways to address the same problem - a scratch! :) Thanks!
Thanks and good luck. I am sure yours will turn out great.
great job !!! appreciate you talking us through it with you.
This was an excellent video straight up! Well done buddy, thank you.
Holy smokes! You did an amazing job. Looks brand new, like it never even happened.🥇🥇🥇
Thank you and thanks for watching.
Awesome!! I too have a scuffed bumped and this is exactly what I need. I will order soon. Thanks so much for showing each step. 👍👍
You are welcome and thanks for watching. Good luck with your repair.
I had a minor accident today with my 6 year old Acura MDX and hate the thought of what it might cost to fix the bumper. Thank you for giving me the inspiration, confidence and information that I need to try and fix it myself. You made a great video! And your car looks great!
Thanks. If I can do this, you absolutely can. Come back and let us know how it turns out.
Great job man!! Kind of motivated to do my own work too! 👍
Very honest from you. Good job you done there.
You did a great job!, You accepted that it would be DIY standard when you started and your surpassed that in my opinion. Paying big to have a panel place do it is no guarantee of it being better than what you have done. Lessons learned and passed onto people like me who now have some confidence to attempt such a job. Thanks for Sharing and well presented, (no ramble or idle content).
Thanks Tibby and very well said. I appreciate the nice comments and your honesty.
As a novice do it yourself person myself, this looks fabulous! Like you, when I do jobs without the aid of a professional, we tend not to do all the steps a professional service would do to produce a seamless finish simply for the lack of knowledge. But like you, I am only interested in making the issue less noticeable. With that said, if I were buying your vehicle, your mishaps would not detour me from purchasing it because they are damn near invisible, and that is the point of home repairs. Excellent job, wish I had a guy at home like you who was not afraid to take on a job like this.... oh wait,... I'm that guy!!! LOL. Thanks for sharing.
No jailbirds or dope boys to do it for you? 😉
@@investingprofessional7040 Nope, none of your associates were available!
wow! this is an amazing job! thank you for sharing.
Too modest...you did a great job!
Humble fella and great results the feeling is mutual regarding "putting sand paper to my car" it irks thinking I'm just going to make it worse
I like your honesty. I've got 2 small Nick's in my bumper and have been thinking of doing this but dont want to spoil it, this has given me confidence. You did a great job, although I thought you should have masked off the boot (trunk) area, yes I'm British..has. Great overall job and I hope your wife appreciates the good work you've done. Regards from England.
Thank you and thanks for watching.
Good job sir!!!!! Looks good to me...cant tell u even worked on that area
Well done dude....good job...thanks for sharing
One search on youtube and this popped up. Glad you went through all the steps and made the video. You did a great job both with all your research, your video, and the finished product.
Thanks Dwight. I appreciate the kind words.
Great results. Thank you for sharing. It's time for a new video!
"I didn't tape off more and, like I said, I didn't know what I was doing." Can't argue with candor. Dude, it looks good. For some reason, I enjoy this type of work.
Thanks man. No sense in lying. I make mistakes every day.
Thank You For This! Especially From Someone Whos Definitely Clueless And Was Going To Resort To An Auto Shop. Definitely Saving Me Couple Hundred Bucks.
Great to hear. That is why I make these videos. If I can do this, anyone can.
Thanks Clint. Well done. Your honesty about what you did and especially sanding, when it was looking very presentable, was very welcome. I have had the same feeling.
Thanks for watching and I appreciate the kind words.
I enjoyed your video and learned something new. I think your job turned out great; thank you for sharing.
Thanks for the kind words and for watching.
"Paint me, warts and all". Enjoyed, 30 yrs a body man, love these vids.
No joke, this was therapeutic. Great job mate! For being the first time doing this? You did pretty damn good! Cheers!
Thank you. It wasn't therapeutic for me during the process but watching it later kind of is. I should make another video of this with no audio and call it an ASMR video.